Author
Topic: Skype (Read 44735 times)

bogstandard

Over the last couple of weeks I have been putting my new ISP and email accounts thru their paces, and I decided to reconnect my Skype connection which had been turned off for the last couple of months.

Within half an hour of being online I got my first call from a person in the UK, I have never talked or seen him before, but had communicated thru an associated website to this one, of which I am no longer a member. Whilst on that call, another one chirped in, from our one and only Cedge. Unable to make the setup for a conference call, I had to tell him to call back later.

Eventually a few minutes later we were talking like good friends, only ever having communicated by email or PM.Steve could see my ugly mush, but unfortunately, because he doesn't have a webcam, I was just talking to a voice. He even got introduced to the now famous Bandit. It makes the experience a whole lot more personal.

The world has shrunk since the introduction of little internet devices and programs such as this, and to me has opened up a whole new world of friends and aquaintances, who only a few years ago could only be communicated with by very expensive telephone calls or snail mail and more recently emails and PM's.

The other advantage is that by using Skypeout and making a small payment into Skype credit, you can contact almost anywhere in the world to a landline telephone, using your computer, for only a couple of pennies a minute. I regularly called my friend in Moscow for an hour at a time, until he eventually got Skype, now it costs us nothing, other than a bit of bandwidth useage allowance.

If anyone wants to connect using this method, my skype name is bandit175. But please remember the time differences between continents, but if when you try to connect, it should tell you if I am on line, or just want to be left alone.

Anyone else want to join in the fun, just append your skype name to this topic.

If anyone wants to do it, but thinks they can't, ask and all your questions will hopefully be answered. It is very cheap to set up, in the UK, about £10 - £15 will get you the bits to start talking and sending live video.

It was nice to get the chance to speak with John. I'm not quite sold on the camera yet.... especially after seeing his mug on screen. I'd almost feel guilty for inflicting my own on anyone...LOL I'm on Skype as Cedge111.

It was nice to get the chance to speak with John. I'm not quite sold on the camera yet.... especially after seeing his mug on screen. I'd almost feel guilty for inflicting my own on anyone...LOL I'm on Skype as Cedge111.

Steve

Yeah, I feel the same about my mug on the PC. But, I have your phone number anyway Steve!

bogstandard

Never be ashamed of what you look like, you can't help it, and besides it isn't your fault, blame your parents.

But getting away from the ribbing, when you read a post, you can now see it in a different light, because you can physically imagine the person doing the job, even down to the swearing when they drop a blooper.

bogstandard

The other early morning after another sleepless night, Skype chirped up and Steve (Cedge) was on the other end.

Thru Skype, he had noticed I was up and about and decided to give me a call.

There was my wife and myself, in our dressing gowns at 4am in the morning, the wife making coffee, me talking to a chap about all sorts of things, whom I have never met in person, and on another continent.

Now if that isn't a good enough reason to get yourself onto Skype, I don't know what is.

bogstandard

Run Skype. If you go to the tools tab at the top, and click on options. That allows you to set it up just how you like it. Go to sound devices and tick both boxes. At the bottom of the sound devices you will see a link saying make a test call. If you click on that, you can find out if you headset mic and speakers are set up OK.

If you can hear everything after your test, close down the tab and select the contacts tab. Go to search for Skype users. All should then be self explanatory.

If you see someone on line, click on their name, ask them to allow you to call them, and away you go.

JohnI once went for drinks with a crew I did business with. Among the group was a young guy fresh from the UK who was here doing some sort of equipment support for the company. A local "beach club" was the chosen watering hole. A beach club is something of an inland "Myrtle Beach" experience, sans the salt water and sand.

The local girls caught his accent, making him real popular... real fast. After his first dance, he returned blushing and confused. The longer we stayed, the more confused he looked, as each time a girl asked him to dance. You see..... the mainstay of a beach club is a dance called "The Shag". It's a bit like a jitterbug, but a bit slower and more relaxed.

Someone in the group finally disabused the poor chap of his fantasy that every girl in the place was trying to get in his knickers. For a while there he was convinced that the USA was indeed a land of unimaginable opportunity.